It’s almost time to pop the champagne, put on a shimmery hat, and countdown to 2020, and for many, this moment is filled with hope and resolutions to create a year of change. New Years’ resolution ideas typically involve a major change, such as losing weight, changing eating or drinking habits, or exercising regularly. However, once January 1 rolls around, putting those goals into action becomes real, and for many, unattainable.
Read More: Rethinking New Years Resolutions
It is good to want to be a better person, and it is good to want to be healthy, but a goal without a plan will remain a dream. Here are 3 New Year’s resolution ideas that may help you on your path to being the best version of yourself in 2020.
Be Kind To Yourself
Have you ever considered that the way you speak to yourself has an impact on the way you speak with others? Or, have you ever realized that you speak to yourself in such a way that you would never speak to a friend or coworker? The language we use each day, both to ourselves and those around us, shapes the way we think, feel, and ultimately act. By intentionally using positive language, and reminding ourselves daily to use positive language, we can shift our mindsets and create a brighter outlook on our days that wait for us in 2020.
For some of us, being critical to ourselves has become so ingrained in us that the idea of using positive, or even gentle, self-speak is foreign, and you may not even know how to get started!
One example of how to use positive language as one of your New Year’s resolution ideas is to replace the phrase “I’m sorry” with “thank you”. For example, instead of saying “I’m sorry I was late”, you could say “thank you for waiting for me.” By doing this, you are not placing blame on yourself, or going into a situation with the mindset of others blaming you. You are accepting the fact that you are human, and that humans need to give themselves a break once in a while! This habit will also help you to be more mindful of the feelings and thought processes of others as well.
Another example is to take a moment before you process a thought-statement. Instead of taking advantage of the knee-jerk reaction to respond to yourself, pause, and think as you would with a friend or acquaintance. Develop your thought carefully and consider the person’s feelings with whom you are speaking: yourself!
Start Each Morning With An Intention
What is the first thing you think about when you wake up? Is it a goal you have for the day? Or, are you just struggling to open your eyes and hit “snooze” just one more time before you don’t have time to take a shower? Research has shown that taking a moment for silence, breathing, and stretching right when you wake up is one of the best things you can do for your brain! Add a positive day to day goal or intention into that mix, and you are giving your brain exactly what it needs to not only get through the day but own your day. As the saying goes, “you run the day or the day runs you”.
Read More: New Year’s Intentions For You And Your Kids
When you speak your intention to yourself, it is important to speak it as if it already happened. Think of it as your sneaky way of tricking your brain into thinking it has already happened. Some examples of this are:
- I am healthy and strong today!
- I am happy with my life.
- I am grateful for my life.
- I have meaningful relationships.
- I am open and honest with myself and others.
These are generic, but good examples of how to start your day on the right foot.
Do Something That You Want To Do
Did you want to learn how to cook crepes in high school, but you never tried? Have you always wondered about those classes where you can paint and drink wine? Do you want to see if you can keep a plant alive? Well, what’s stopping you?
Make a list of things that you want to do. Things that you think you will really enjoy from beginning to end. Find something that makes you feel joy! Then, once you do it and you find that you enjoyed it, do it again! If you do it and you didn’t enjoy it as much as you thought, don’t do it!
We have to do so many things in our day-things that pay the bills, things that the kids need, things that we have to do for the house…but we forget that this is our life. At the end of the day, we are the only ones responsible for whether or not we enjoyed it! New Year’s resolution ideas are usually something that we want, but the process is something we wish we could skip over. Give yourself the gift of something that you want in 2020, because goodness knows we do enough of the “have to” things!
Why These New Year’s Resolution Ideas?
Maybe it is time that we rethink the reason we come up with New Year’s resolution ideas. Is it to punish ourselves? Or, is it just that the idea of our future-self accomplishing something that we want is so appealing that we use sparklers and champagne to convince ourselves that it’s going to happen? Maybe it is time to think about New Year’s resolution ideas that will feed our minds and spirits rather than stress us out. When you are mulling over your New Year’s resolution ideas, decide what will truly make 2020 the best year yet – being kind to yourself, and treating yourself to all the joys this life has to offer. Happy New Year!
WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out this article on Intention-Setting VS. Resolution.
